Fernando Nieve is eager to show the Mets what he can do as a starter again.

The right-hander yesterday was tabbed as the starting pitcher for tomorrow night’s game in Milwaukee, replacing injured John Maine in the rotation.

“I went to spring training hoping to get a spot in the rotation, and this is a chance to show them I belong,” said Nieve, who is 1-2 with a 5.09 ERA in 27 relief appearances this season.

Nieve was considered the front-runner for the fifth spot in the rotation when he arrived at spring training, but Jon Niese’s strong camp ultimately pushed Nieve to the bullpen.

Manager Jerry Manuel also considered Raul Valdes for tomorrow, but Nieve’s track record as a starter gave him the edge.

Nieve impressed the Mets by going 3-3 with a 3.12 ERA in seven starts last season before tearing a muscle in his right thigh. He will become the eighth pitcher to start a game for the Mets this season.

Carlos Beltran’s chances of returning before the All-Star break grow bleaker by the day.

Beltran still has not been cleared for baseball activities in his comeback from arthroscopic knee surgery. GM Omar Minaya said Beltran remains in Port St. Lucie, where he has done light running and hitting.

Minaya said there is no timetable for Beltran’s return, but it will take the center fielder at least four to six weeks once he is cleared for baseball activities.

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Niese (hamstring) is scheduled to make a rehab start for Single-A St. Lucie this weekend and then be slotted into the Mets’ rotation. He likely would pitch next Friday against the Marlins. . . . Maine (tendinitis) played catch yesterday for the first time since going on the disabled list Saturday, and indicated there was no discomfort in his right shoulder.

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Manuel has a theory as to why the Mets are 6-14 on the road this season.

“We might be trying to do too much from a hitter’s point of view on the road,” said Manuel, whose Mets tonight begin a six-game road swing through Milwaukee and San Diego.

“The ballparks we’ve been playing in are somewhat small, so you can’t wait to elevate a ball, and that has probably hindered our mechanics and fundamentals of hitting.”

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Funeral services for former Mets pitcher Jose Lima are scheduled for today from 3 p.m. to 10 p.m. at Coppola-Migliore Funeral Home, 49-01 104th Street in Corona, Queens. Lima, who pitched for the Mets briefly in 2006, died earlier this week.